Improvement in potato-diggers



J'. n. HoPPER.

POTATO-DIGGER.

Patented Apr14,1sa7.l

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JOHN HOPPER, OF ROCHESTER, ASSIGNOR OF'ONE-HALF HIS RIGHT TO O. S. AND O. H. GILLAM, OF AUBURN,` NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN POTATO-DIGGERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. l 75,607, dated April 4, 1876, application tiled December 8, 1875.

.To all .whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, JOHN R. HOPPER, of Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented certain new and usef'ul Improvements in Potato-Diggers; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactvdescription thereof, reference .being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specilication, in which-'- Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section of my improved potato-digger, showing the parts thrown up out ot working position. Fig. 2 is a front or transverse sectional elevation ot the right-hand portions of the same, with the frame A thrown down. Fig..3 is a detached view ofthe jaw h. Fig. 4 is a plan view of` a section of one side of the chain-belts.

The following are among the many obstacle heretofore` met. with in operating potato-diggers: The dilculty of getting the earth and tubers sufficiently elevated to permit of their being properly separated, the proper action of the implement being prevented by clogging with vines and weeds. Y

To obviate these and other minor difficulties Its nature will be better understood by reference to the drawings and specification.

The primary frame is composed of side bars A and cross-bars G, G1, and G2, and is vhung upon the axle U by the pillow-block J. The side bars A' of the auxiliary frame are each attached to the main frame by the pivoted links d at the rear end, and by the links b and the crank-arms h of the shaft of the lever L at the frontend. The shaft n, upon which is hung the pinion O and driving-pulley K, is hung to the side bar A. The spur-wheel O, keyed to thev main driving-shaft U, drives the pinion O, and, through this and the shaft n, the pulley K is made to drive the shaft m by the belt P. The sprocket-wheels Q, fixed upon the shaft m, drive the open or raddle belt H, the lower or front end running over the small pulley a. The sprocket Q also is driven from the pulley K by the belt This sprocket-wheel carries the upper end of the close or carrier-belt H, its lower or front end being sustained by the small pulleys r. The side boards or guards E are bolted at the upper end tothe 'side bars A', and their lower ends are rigidly xed to the hanger-shanks D, their upper end being also bolted to the bars A. TheV shovel-blade B is rigidly xed to the hanger-Shanks D in the position shown. The belts H and Hl are formed ot' tlat links, curved edgewise, as shown, and their ends overlapping each alternate link inside and the next out. Each link receives the end ot three of the rods u.

Thus it willbe seen that,owing to the curved links, the rods are alternately above or below the next adjacent one in a zigzag line. This increases their effectiveness for elevating and.

separating.

The carrier-belt H is prevented from acting as a separator to any extent by inserting a canvas belt, s, between the rods, as shown.

Any desired amount of agitation may be given to the separator-belt H by the employment of one or more pulleys,- T, for the links and rods to pass over.

The shaft of the weed and vine reels J is supported in the hangers I, and drivenfby the belt w, running in a groove on the side of the gearwheel J. The vine-cutter N has its axial bearing in the hanger-shank D, and is driven from the pulley K, through the intermediaten combined pulley and gear R. the stud-pin y. The disk N is provided with several cutters, e, the front edge of the shank D acting conjointly therewith as a fixed cutter. The draft-rod D on each side of the machine is attached to the shankD atapoint just above -thesweep of the cutters e, and they are secured to the cross-bar B.V The team is attached to the draft-straps S', fixed to the center of this cross-bar B. The latter is fitted to swing loosely upon the hanger N which is bolted to the bar A of the frame, as shown in Fig. 2, and is so bent as to carry the track-clearers C directly in front of the ground-wheels W, for the purposehereinafter described.

I have heretofore found great diflculty in effecting a proper oiling of the small pulleys r, or the bearings of the shaft upon which they were hung. To obviate this difculty, I now insert a hollow stem, c, into the shank D, where erica i This is hung uponit is firmly secured by the nut a. Then there is a hole drilled vertically through .the offset formed upon the outside of the shank, and into the opening in the stem. rlhe tube tis driven into this hole, so as to enter the pin c, and the upper end closed when the machine is in use by a suitable stopper. The sheaves or pulleys r are fixed upon a tube, g, instead of a solid shaft. This acts as a reservoir for the oil, the discharge of which, by the wear, being outward prevents the possibility of sand and grit from getting in between the working parts.

The machine is raised or lowered by means of the lever L, which is provided with a suitable spring-latch, to lock into openings formed l in the arch f. The working parts are thrown into or out of gear by the lever L' in the usual rlhe proper relative position of the pinion O and spur-wheel O' is .secured at all times by means of the yoke It, fitted to grasp over a projecting bossfi, from the journal-box of each shaft.

By means of the close carrier or elevatingbelt H, assisted by the vine-conveyer or picker-reels J, I aml able to use a .very narrow lshovel-blade, B', without the slightest danger ot' clogging. The material is thereby sufficiently elevated ,to cna-ble the raddle-belt H' to thoroughly separate the tubers from the a1-th and discharge them upon the surface, the curved plate F ou each side heilig designed to throw them centrally into a sort o'f winrow.

In cultivating potatoes by machinery, as usually practiced at the present day, the earth is left more or less in ridges in the direction ot' the last cultivation. Therefore, when they .are to be dug by a machine, a great saving' in the quantity ot' material the machine must handleA may be effected by running the digger across the rows, or at right angles to the last cultivation. An objection to that with a machine having its working parts properly balanced and arranged with relation to the carrier-wheels has been that when the shovel was about to enter under the hill the wheels would mount the ridge, which, of course, would not' do. To obviate this difficulty I hang a tooth or smallplow,'O, directly in frontof the wheels, and cut a track through the ridges as low as necessary for the Wheels to run in.

It will be seen that by attaching the draft at a point near the shovel-blade, the downward draft upon the end of the pole, consequent upon drawing the machine by the main frame, in connection with locating the drivers seat S over the carrier-axle, or to the rear of it, is Wholly obviated.

What I claim as my invention is- .1. In combination with the'shovelfblade B', the close carrier-belt H and open raddle-belt H', the two latter being constructed substantially as shown and described, and arranged to revolve upon axes at right angles or transversely to the travel of the machine.

2. The inner frame A, hung upon the car rier-shaft U, and the outer frame A',hung upon the counter-shaft n, both frames i being hinged together at front and rear, as shown, in 4combination with the jaw or yoke h, whereby the two shafts are retained in a proper concentric position andthe proper relative longitudinal position ofthe two frames is secured, in the manner and for the purposes set forth.

3. The revolving vine reel or reels J, in combination with the shovel-blade B' and the close chain-belt H, operating conjointly to assist in.

the passage of the vines and other material over said blade B and belt H. f

4. The tubular shaft g, constituting an oil-. reservoir, as described, in combination with the hollow journal-arm c, fixed/to the shank D, as and for the purposes set forth.

5. In combination with the tubular shaft g, hollow'journal-arin c, and "stock or shank l), the vertical oil-tubet, which latter also act as a key to secure the hollow journal c in position independently of the nut a.

JOHN R. HOPPER. Witnesses:

WM. S. LoUGHBoRoUGH, HENRY E. WHITE. 

